Rotary engine.



s ag 3 a' C. J. DUNCAN.

ROTARYBNGINB. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3, 106

C l, miiiiiiilllllllllllll @Ammann z PATENTED OCT. 23, 1906.

UNITED STATES lIUYIEN'I OFFICE.

CLARK'J. DUNCAN, OF'WINDBER, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Application filed March 3, 1906. Serial No. 304,109.

Patented Oct. 23, 1906.

useful improvements in rotary engines; and

the invention has for its object to provide a novel form of engine which is-particularly adapted for use in connection with locomobiles and-the like gas or steam driven vehicles.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an engine from which the greatest amount 'of power can be derived from the least expenditure of gas, and in constructing r my improved engine I aim to form the same as compact as possible, whereby itwill occupy a comparatively small space in a locomobile or the like vehicle.

Another object of this invention is to provide a rotary engine which will be extremely simple in construction, strong and durable, comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, and highly efficient for the various purposes for which it may be used.

With the above and other objects in view Vthe invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and then specifically pointed out in the claims, and, referring to the drawings accompanying this application, like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views-in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved engine. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view. Fig. 3 is an end view. Fig. 4 is -a bottom plan of one part of the housing of the engine. Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a plurality of my improved engines arranged to operate in unison to drive a common shaft. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of one of the packing-rings of my improved engine.h

To put my invention into practice, I construct my improved engine of a bed-plate 1, having upwardly-extending side frames 2 2. The side frames of the bed-plate are out away, forming Windows 3 3, and the tops of the side frames are countersunk, as at 4, and provided With diametrically opposite journalboxes 5 5. The bed-plate 1 is provided with a central opening 6, and the sides of the bedplate are pierced, as at 7, to permit of bolts 8 passing therethrough in order that the bedplate may be tion.

Revolubly mounted in the journal-boxes 5 5 between the side frames 2 2 is a shaft 9, upon which .is mounted a wheel 10. rIhe periphery of the wheel .is provided with a tangentially-disposed pocket 11, the object of which will be presently described. Fitting upon the side frames 2 2 and inclosing the .secured to a suitable foundaupper half of the wheel 10 is a housing 12,

said housing being secured to said frames, as

`at 14 14. The housing, which is semicylindrical in form, has its inner curved sides provided with packing-rin-gs 15 and 16, the pack-y ing-ring 15 being arranged in suitable form to surround the tangentially-disposed inletport'17, formed in the housing 12, while the packing-ring 16 is arranged to surround a -radiall -disposedoutlet or exhaust port 18,

forme in the housing 12. Each one of the packing-rings comprises a plurality of casings 19, which are arranged within the grooves 19a, surrounding the ports 17-and 18. The casings 19 are substantially channelshaped, and interposed between the casings and the bottom of the grooves 19a are curved band-springs 20, which normally hold the casings in engagement with the periphery of the Wheel 10.

In each casing is mounted a bearing-strip 21, said strips being held in engagement with the wheel 10 by spring 22, mounted in the casings 19, said springs being similar tol the springs 20 heretofore mentioned. 'Ihe double-ended packing-rings are adapted to form an air-tight connection with the periphery of the wheel 10 around the inlet and exhaust ports 17 and 18. The inlet-port 17 is adapted to connect with a suitable supply ofgas, while the outlet-port 18 may exhaust at any convenient place.

In the central opening 6 of the bed-plate 1 I place a lubricant-receptacle 23, said receptacle beinfJr secured to the side frames 2 2 of the bed-plate', as at 24. In the receptacle 25 oil or the like lubricant is placed, and the periphery of the wheel 10 is adapted to pass Athrough .the oil or lubricant to assist the rotation of the wheel within the housing 12. To prevent an excess amount of lubricant being carried upon the periphery of the IIO Wheel 10, I provide the side frames 3 3 with two transversely-arranged strips 25 25, and between these strips is mounted a piece of leather or the like flexible material 26, the edge of the resilient material being adapted to bear against the periphery of the wheel and remove an excess amount of lubricant that may be carried upwardly by the revolving wheel 10.

To further lubricate the wheel, the caps 27 of the journal-boxes 5 are provided with conventional oil-cups 28, kadapted to lubricate the revolving shaft.

Upon gas or steam entering the inlet-port 17 and the pocket 11 of the wheel `10 registering with said inlet the gas or steam drives the pocket toward the exhaust-port i8, kthe gas or steam being retained within the pocket until the port 18 is reached, at which time the gas or steam can exhaust.

In Fig. y5 of the drawings I have illustrated the manner in which I preferably arrange my improved engine in order that a continuous operation of the shaft 9 may be accomplished. It will be observed that I employ engines 29, 30, 31, and 32, the wheels 10 of said engines being mounted upon a common shaft 33, While the wheel 10 of the engine 29 is taking gas the wheel 10 of the engine 30 is exhausting, and while the wheel 10 of the engine 29 is exhausting the wheel lO-of the engine 31 is taking gas. As the `wheel 10 of the engine'3l is exhausting the wheel 10 of the engine 32 is taking gas, it being observed that the pockets 11 of the wheels 10 of the engines are arranged at right angles to one another,A and in this manner a continuous rotation of the shaft 33 is accomplished, one engine always taking gas while another is exhausting.

It is thought froinfthe foregoing that the construction, operation, and advantages of the herein-described rotary engine will be apparent without further description, and various changes in the form,proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Let- 5o ters Patent, is`

.1. The combination of a plurality of engines, having a common shaft, each engine embodying a wheel mounted upon said shaft, and having a pocket formed therein, a housing mounted over each wheel and having inlet and exhaust ports formed therein, bearing-rings mounted in said housings and adapted to engage the peripheries of said wheels, means to lubricate said wheels, substantially 6o as described.

2. The combination of a plurality of engines having a common shaft, each engine embodying a wheel having a tangentiallydisposed pocket formed therein, a housing mounted over each wheel and having inlet and exhaust ports formed therein, means to establish an air-tight connection between the periphery of said wheels and said housings surrounding said ports, and means to lubricate said wheel, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a plurality of engines having a common shaft, adapted to be driven by said engines, sai d engines embodyingwheels mounted upon said shaft, separate 7 5 housings mounted one over each of said wheels, said wheels having pockets formed therein, the pocket in one wheel being out of longitudinal alinement with the pocket in another wheel, said housings having inlet and 8o exhaust ports formed therein, substantially as described.

4. A rotary engine embodying a bedplate and side frames` a wheel journaled in said side frames, said wheel having a ypocket 85 formed the rein, a housing carried by said side frames, said housing having inlet and exhaust ports formed therein, bearing-rings carried by said housing, and engaging the pevriphery of said wheel, and means to lubri cate 9o the periphery of said wheel, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I a'Hix my signature in the presence of two witnesses,

CLARK J. DUNCAN. Witnesses:

JOHN A. HARTMAN, MARGARET HUNTER. 

